HELP - Select and Mask

Mark G

Mark G

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Mark
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If anyone wants a free PC and a free MacBook Pro then just look outside my house in about 10 minutes time! Both are soon to be thrown out of the window if they don't start behaving!

I'm pulling my hair out with Select and Mask! I just want to refine a selection around a girls hair and it is going crazy! Is it possible that I'm overlooking a simple setting that is making this not work, or is it just not as good as I've seen in demo videos?

(Photoshop CC, 2015.5.0)

Thanks, from a very frustrated
Mark.
 
Try another application. You might find a change does wonders for your frustration.
 
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Select with the magnetic lasso or quick selection tool, then at the top of the screen hit 'refine edge', then I just scribble round all the furry edges.

Easier using a tablet and pen though.
 
I have used this a couple of times with varying degrees of sucess.
If you look carefully at the demos they are all shown on a clean background with a high degree of contrast,in which case it works very well.
If the difference between the subject you are trying to mask and the background is not all that high it does not seem to work all that well.
It is probably one of these things that needs a lot of practice and a lot of thought about taking the original photo
 
troutfisher said:
I have used this a couple of times with varying degrees of sucess.
If you look carefully at the demos they are all shown on a clean background with a high degree of contrast,in which case it works very well.
If the difference between the subject you are trying to mask and the background is not all that high it does not seem to work all that well.
It is probably one of these things that needs a lot of practice and a lot of thought about taking the original photo
Click to expand...


I agree, It would appears to be a contrast thing. Although I think it was also because I was trying to subtract, not add the edge. More practice required I think.
 
Phil V said:
Select with the magnetic lasso or quick selection tool, then at the top of the screen hit 'refine edge', then I just scribble round all the furry edges.

Easier using a tablet and pen though.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, Adobe in all their wisdom decided to remove the refine edge tool in the last update. They replaced it with select and mask, which is pants!

I ended up making the selection manually. Fortunately I also use a pen and tablet otherwise it would have been even worse!
 
Mark G said:
Unfortunately, Adobe in all their wisdom decided to remove the refine edge tool in the last update. They replaced it with select and mask, which is pants!

I ended up making the selection manually. Fortunately I also use a pen and tablet otherwise it would have been even worse!
Click to expand...
The 'Refine Edge' brush is part of that new tool, on a toolbar on the left.:D
 
Whats your address Mark.... ;)

On a serious note most of the refine edges thingies work better on some images than others, I suspect the images used in demos are chosen to make life easier. You might also take a look at channel masking, I seem to remember Dr Russel Brown had a good tut on his site a while back. Sometimes that'll help to refine a mask.
 
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